Chinese Watercress, Thai Style

[VivreManger]

I picked up a pound of Chinese watercress that I hope to wok stir-fry Thai style, a favorite.

Peanut oil and garlic are the two other ingredients I plan to use.

Does anyone know what other ingredients should be included? In the version I have tasted, there is not much fish sauce taste, but can anything be cooked in Thailand without fish sauce?

Edited: Did I forget to mention soy sauce? Probably not too much.

Edited May 23, 2003 by VivreManger (log)

[mamster]

A little Thai oyster sauce (such as Mae Krua brand) would be good here.

[torakris]

I would add both oyster sauce and ginger ansd maybe a little fresh chile for kick.

[RickBehl]

There is a great restaurant here in London which does a stir fry morning glory dish.

Although having never sampled this particular dish in Thailand, I believe it is quite infamously known as the 'flying morning glory' dish, due to the fact that it is often

cooked quite vigourously over very high heat in the wok and then literally 'flung' onto the awaiting serving plate.

Anyway, in the dish I have sampled in London, they include small whole cloves of unpeeled garlic (not sure if they have been roasted/fried beforehand). This adds a

great flavour to the dish as long as you like garlic. Off the top off my head, I would say there was some soy (probably light) and some oyster in there too as well as a couple of fresh birds eye chillies.

Rgds

Rick

[Pan]

Morning glory? Is that just the name of the dish, or do people actually eat morning glory???

[RickBehl]

I'm referring to Morning Glory, the asian green vegetable. Looks a bit like a cross between spinach and Chinese 'Gai-Lan'.

I think there is a recipe for the wok-fried version in the cookbook 'It Rains Fishes' (which I recommended for any Thai food fanatics).

Rick

[mb7o]

Yes, swamp cabbage.

some places you can eat it in seattle

According to a northern thai recipe I have, put garlic, sliced small chillis, and morning glory (or other green) in a hot wok. Toss, add sauce, then sliced large chili (not quite as spicy). (Sauce = soy bean paste, oyster sauce, thin soy sauce).

The article above mentions a number of alternate ways of cooking it.

[Pan]

Are you folks referring to what's called kangkung in Malaysia and "water spinach" here in New York?

Edited May 26, 2003 by Pan (log)

[mamster]

I assumed so. That's definitely what the article linked to above is referring to.

[tonkichi]

These are the two ways I would cook the kangkung (the first method is the default style in many households here:

1. With sambal belacan and pounded ikan bilis (little anchovies) or dried shrimps.

2. cantonese style with mashed fuyu (yellow fermented bean curd), sugar, rice wine and a little stock. Add a few strips of fresh red chilli for colour.

The thing my mum taught me when cooking this vegetable is not to add water to the vegetables when stir-frying, the vegetable will leach water anyway. This will give you nice crunchy stems and tender leaves.

[Pan]

For authenticity, add plenty of hot pepper to the belacan sauce.

I've had good Chinese-style kangkung that's simply been stir-fried with hot pepper and, I suppose, a little salt, but I prefer it with belacan.

[Shiewie]

Kangkung is also known as water convolvulus.

There's a dish called "sotong kangkung" in Malaysia where blanched kangkung is served together with dried cuttlefish and a peanut or chilli shrimp paste sauce.